The hydrophone node at the Seattle Aquarium is located beneath the pier at a depth of about 10 meters. When it was deployed in 2007, the hydrophone was accidentally placed on the seafloor, though it sounded fine. The hydrophone was moved to a better location (closer to the end of the pier) in 2008.

The hydrophones are connected to a computer which automatically detects unusual sounds (like orcas) and measures the average sound levels for the area using custom software written by Dr. Val Veirs.

Archived Sounds from the Seattle Aquarium

You can use the above "playlist" to access all archived files. Click on the downward facing arrow play a file.

If you'd like to try recording the streams when you hear something that interests you, we recommend Stream Ripper (free, open source, all platforms). If you'd like to explore underwater listening even further (including sound analysis and contributions to citizen science projects), then consider taking on a Beam Reach externship in bioacoustics.

Don't hesitate to contact us if you'd like to make your recording available to the listening community by having us publish it on this web site. In any case, please abide by the Creative Commons license.

Archived sounds are presented using a Flash-based player called Wimpy.